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Macaron Tutorial

Monday, March 01, 2010

Almost a week without posting makes me feel like I am missing out on all the fun. Can't believe February is over and gone. Makes me wonder why so much always gets packed into such a short month but I am relieved that all the projects have been completed and deadlines met. So, "Hello March! Let's get going!" Yep, this month is definitely another kind of busy, filled with travels, workshops and visits and you can bet I am looking forward to the change of scenery. Oh yes.

Taking small breaks throughout the work day is vital for everyone. You've probably noticed it just by peeking your head outside for 10 minutes or taking a walk with a colleague. One thing I find most invigorating is lunch. I can't do without. I guess it stems directly from my childhood when my mom would pick us from school for lunch. She had nothing against cafeteria meals but she enjoyed taking the time to do it. It was nothing fancy really but breaking away for an hour also meant picking up a new book at the library, getting more stickers at the book store, stopping by the bakery for a treat. A little fun in the middle of a long work day. Always a treat when you are a kid. Or an adult.

I love a good salad with tons of colorful vegetables, sometimes topped with a hard boiled egg, or two. Soups are another favorite staple but nothing says lunch break more than a savory tart and a side salad to me. Quintessential French bistro food. One that warms my very soul being so far away from home. One that makes me feel all grown up although I have been there for a while. Savory tarts are the perfect vessels to get a good dose of all the food essentials your brain and body need to function properly without too much effort or planning. Once you have the crust, thrown in anything that strikes your fancy or whatever you have on hand. The sky is the limit regarding fillings, spices, herbs, etc...

Funny thing is that in my family a savory tart is also the meal of choice for any exhausted traveler. Whenever we go home, I know our first meal will be my mom's quiche Lorraine with a salad and my dad's shallot vinaigrette. Whenever they come visit, there is quiche ready for them to get a quick bite after a long day of travel. How did it come to be this way? I don't know. It's tradition. And you don't mess with tradition. Well at least no this one, ehehe.

I guess you can call this Swiss Chard, Goat Cheese and Prosciutto tart a rehearsal of sort for my parents' arrival in two weeks. I finally came up with a savory gluten free crust that I am in love with. Tastes good, bakes good and rolls like a charm. For the filling, I used what I had on hand: a bunch of Swiss chard languishing in the fridge, some goat cheese and prosciutto left over from a tapas night with friends. Next time it might simply be bacon and onion. Who knows...

I can't believe I'll be in L.A on Wednesday and Seattle on Sunday! If you are registered for any of the workshops, well, "thank you" in advance and I can't wait to meet you! There are some tweet-ups/meet-ups being organized as I write this so if you are interested, the best thing is to check my Twitter feed (@SweetTartelette) or any of the (crazy - awesome - fun) gals who will be showing me around town this week: Rachael (@fujimama), Jen (@jenjenk) and Gaby (@WhatsGabyCookin).

Since I know it's going to be pretty tight to get any major post in and to avoid a major "post travel" blog post, I thought I'd do quick and fun entries throughout the weeks. Capturing the moment. I have never been to any of these cities so I figured it'd be fun to post quick accounts of things that strike me. Landscape, people, food, the macaron and photography workshops, whatever... I am looking forward to it all and everything in between.

Prepare the crust:In a mixer, whip together the butter and mustard on medium speed until light and airy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time and beating well after each addition. Mix until incorporated. Add all the different flours, and the xantham gum and mix briefly. Dump the whole mixture onto a lightly floured (use more rice flour) board and gather the dough into a smooth ball. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour. Preheat oven to 350F and position a rack in the center.When the dough is nice and cold, roll it out on a lightly floured board or in between two sheets of plastic to fit your prefered pie pan. (I went with rectangular this time) If the dough tears while you roll or/and transfer into the pan, just patch it with your fingertips. Line the dough with a piece of parchment paper, fill with pie weights or dy beans and par bake for 15-20 minutes until completely done. Remove the weights and parchment paper. At this point you can refrigerate the baked crust for up to 5 days if not using right away or freeze it for up to 3 months.

Prepare the filling:Preheat the oven to 350F and position a rack in the middle.Heat the oil in a large sautee pan over medium high heat and cook the onion until translucent (about 3-4 minutes), add the Swiss chard and cooked until wilted. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool. In the same pan, quickly sautee the slices of prosciutto to get them nice and crispy. Remove from the pan.In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Layer the onion and Swiss chard at the bottom of the crust and slowly pour the egg mixture over it. Top with slices of prosciutto and crumbled goat cheese.Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until the tart starts getting golden brown and the custard is cooked. Spinkle with freshly chopped thyme.

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comments:

That is the sweetest thing that your mom would take you from school to do lunch. Breaks through the day are vital to me as well, and I always look forward to lunch. Now, if only I was eating this tart for lunch ... :)

Homecoming food traditions are lovely! Every time we get back from somewhere, my boyfriend's Austrian mum makes us soup with beans - nothing like a bit of familiarity after the excitement of travel.Bon voyage!

Oh my golly... this looks fantastic! I can't wait to make the crust! It seems simple enough! Mmmm, and I can't wait to put in different fillings. Caramelized onions and goat cheese doesn't sound so bad, haha.

Few people can make food look so consistently beautiful and I don't doubt so consistently delicious. Stunning as always, my dear. While I'm sure any person would be delighted to nosh on goodies that you've stocked up in their fridge, I think B would rather have you there over all that lovely food any day :) Safe travels, hon. Have a great time.

I have started making Swiss Chard savory tarts this year as a new way to feed chard to my children. They love it! Will definitively try this one as well soon... Especially if you are happy with a GF crust. I am always looking for new crust recipes!Bonne escapade dans l'Ouest americain!

This looks amazing! I love the combination of goats cheese, chard & prosciutto. A tart like this is so handy for grab and go lunches! I'll have top make it, thanks again for another lovely recipe and such beautiful photos! x

This looks delicious - except for the goat cheese part. I really, really don't like the game/goat/barn flavor in goat cheese. Is it just me? Am I buying the wrong kind of goat cheese? Any recommendations?

Oh, Helen! This tart looks right up my alley. If only I could bake! But it looks so delicious that I just might try.

I love the story about your mom picking you up for lunch. It took me back. The year I was in 3rd grade, while my mother was recovering from lung cancer, the school allowed me to come home for lunch (alarmingly, we had to petition to do so). I loved those lunches. I'd run the 3 blocks home, eat something warm and wonderful, and Mama would read Ramona the Pest or Stuart Little aloud while we ate. It centered me for the rest of my day.

Throughout my school life my mom would never miss a day bringing warm tasty food for lunch..I never realized how precious that was untill I went out on my own n thr was no lunch ready waiting..Miss those days!Will definitely try the recipe..You have fun travelling but come back soon, will be waiting for your next post.

your tart looks just luscious & i can't wait to bake this...i am having a tapas party soon & this would be perfect!helen, do you think i could substitute sun dried tomatoes for the prosciutto or do you have any other suggestions....thanks so much!enjoy your travels & have wonderful experiences @ the workshops...i am jealous!!any plans for a nyc workshop?

What a beautiful crust! I came up with a good pie crust, but never gave the tart crust much effort--looks like you made a real winner though! I may have to give this a try. The whole thing looks delicious.

How lucky to be able to go home for a home-cooked lunch as a child. I couldn't leave school for lunch until my senior year of high school when I had both permission to leave campus at lunch and a car in which to leave it.

I am planning my very first trip to Paris later this year and you are making me look forward to typical French lunches!

I'm making this tonight for my Girl's Night :D We have a Vegetarian and an Onion allergy in the group, so I will be making 1 sans Prosciutto and substituting the onion in the other for shallots. I'm not brave enough to try this crust though,..will be using mine :) SO EXCITED!!

looks so good-- i love anything with dark greens!! how do you decide which combo of GF flours you will use for different purposes? do they have different properties, or is it flavor-based? there are so many types, i wouldn't know how to begin! have a wonderful trip--seattle is lovely!!

I have made this moist and very tasty tart tonight. I used Clotilde's whole wheat olive oil crust (http://bit.ly/FT9wO), the flavors blended very well together. I added a little grated some aged goat cheese to melt on top of the creamy one and the prosciutto. It was heaven!

I'm excited to make this next weekend for a gluten free friend. I'm wondering if I could make the whole thing the night before and reheat? Maybe that wouldn't work with the ham? I am going to make two, as one friend is vegetarian and put small roasted tomatoes in the second. Thank you!Liesl